I find it very disconcerting that last week’s Herald article, “Envision: hotels a plus for Valley Stream,” a member of the Valley Stream’s District 30 and Central High School District board, Elise Antonelli, stated that the village does not have a good reputation for considering the needs of the residents.

What a disappointing statement. I pride myself on the fact that my administration encourages active participation from the public on all matters that affect our residents and our way of life here in Valley Stream. With regard to the extensive work that we have put in to create our Master Plan, I hope Ms. Antonelli recalls that surveys were mailed to every resident and business in the village as part of an effort to include as many people, with as many points of view, as possible. In addition, the steps leading up to the adoption of the Master Plan and the subsequent adoption of the changes to the zoning code, were well documented in the Herald, the Village Green, Chamber of Commerce meetings and in public discussions over the past several years. Public hearings were held at the Valley Stream’s Board of Zoning and Appeals level, and Nassau County and Valley Stream’s Planning Department levels, leading up to the public hearing at the Village Board of Trustees, at which a number of village residents expressed their opinions. No actions were taken, or decisions made, without the public being afforded the opportunity to weigh in.

I believe that during my administration you would be hard pressed to find specifics about when we did not consider the needs of our residents. In Valley Stream we are trying to create a climate that stabilizes real property taxes, fosters clean business, produces good-paying jobs and develops nice places for our residents to shop and dine. We have world class parks, an outstanding pool complex, a concert series and recreational programs that are second to none, and a library that caters to patrons of all ages and every segment of our village. We indeed consider all of our residents and try very hard to meet the needs of our community.

It is a shame that Ms. Antonelli’s experience has not been as participatory as she would have liked. I invite her and all our residents to contact our offices at any time if there are issues they would like to discuss, opinions they would like to share or assistance they would like to offer.

It is my hope that Ms. Antonelli joins us in helping to seek meaningful solutions to growing our business community, stabilizing real property taxes and making Valley Stream an even greater place to live.